Disgraced former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been dropping more hints about a potential political comeback as he announced plans to create a new podcast and political action committee (PAC).
Mr Cuomo, who resigned in shame last year after almost a dozen women accused him of sexual harassment, released a video on Wednesday where he vowed that he is “not done fighting yet”.
In the eight-minute video, titled “What’s Next?”, the former governor said his time out of office had given him a “new perspective” on government and politics.
“The past few months gave me a new perspective on politics, on people and even on life,” he said.
“I have seen it all. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I have seen both extremes – the worst in politics and opportunism. But I’ve also seen the best in government and service.
“I believe at the end of the day I will be the better for it. And I want to move forward and focus on what is really important.”
He added: “I have fought the good fight in government and politics all my life. And I am not done fighting yet.”
In the video, he announced his plans for a new PAC to “elect the right people to office” saying that “we do not need more panderers, we need producers”.
“We need people committed to fight for change and who get results,” he said.
Mr Cuomo also announced plans to form a new initiative “Gun Safe America Project” aimed at tackling gun violence, in which he took aim at his own party for failing to call a vote on an assault weapons ban in the US Senate.
“President Biden gave a speech a couple of weeks ago saying he was determined to pass an assault weapons ban, but the Senate just passed the gun bill and it had no ban and it had no capacity limits,” he said.
“The Democrats wouldn’t even put the bill banning assault rifles on the floor with Democrats united in support to show that the Republicans are stopping passage. At least then we could frame the issue for the American people. We need a new approach and I have some ideas.”
During the lengthy speech, Mr Cuomo made no mention of the scandal that led him to leave office – instead slamming the social media “mob” which he has repeatedly blamed for his downfall.
“It’s a Twitter mob, but the mob has power and many politicians and press are afraid to challenge it lest the mob turn on them,” he said.
Mr Cuomo hinted that people will start seeing a lot more of him when he launches his new podcast, which he vowed would be “candid” and “unvarnished”.
“This forum will be different. My intention is to speak the full truth, unvarnished, from the inside out, frank and candid,” he said, without detailing when the podcast will be launched or what it will focus on.
“As a person who’s been in the room many times for many years and knows these people and knows their games, and as a person who actually did the job.”
Mr Cuomo’s announcement is the strongest sign yet that he is preparing to make a return to politics, following months of speculation as he slowly began reentering in public life.
It comes just days before his brother – former CNN host Chris Cuomo – stages a comeback of his own with the launch of his new NewsNation show Cuomo on Monday.
The two brothers – the sons of former New York Governor Mario Cuomo – charted a spectacular fall from grace last year after they had spent the early days of the pandemic as fixtures on TV screens across the country.
The elder Cuomo brother resigned in shame back in August 2021 after multiple women – including current and former aides in his office – came forward to accuse him of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour.
The most damning allegation came from a current aide who alleged that he groped her breast in the executive mansion in Albany.
An investigation from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office found that he had sexually harassed at least 11 women and that his office had retaliated against at least one of the accusers when she came forward with the allegations.
Mr Cuomo announced his resignation one week later.
In his resignation speech, he admitted he made “mistakes” but continued to insist he had never touched anyone inappropriately.
Over the months that followed, five criminal cases were opened and closed into allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
The final case was shuttered by the Oswego County District Attorney’s Office in January, appearing to end any chances of the politician facing criminal charges for his alleged actions.
Rather than exonerating him, several district attorneys said the allegations from the women were “credible” but that there was not enough evidence to prosecute him.
Last week, Charlotte Bennett – one of the first women to come forward with allegations – filed a federal lawsuit against him for sexual harassment and discrimination.
Mr Cuomo has repeatedly accused Ms James of deliberately mishandling the investigation, filing a state ethics complaint earlier this month.
Following the governor’s August 2021 resignation, the spotlight turned onto his brother Chris.
In December, the longtime anchor was fired by CNN for advising his brother about how to handle the sexual harassment accusations.
In the aftermath of the prime-time host’s firing, a report from the New York Times said that the network had also been contacted by a woman who accused him of misconduct when he worked at ABC News prior to joining CNN.
